Help

I am new to being a Atheist and I keep having people mostly family question me over and over again. I find I am at a big disadvantge because I don't have a lot of knowledge about the facts and the proof of no god( im not sure if that made sence).

When I say to them" I just dont believe that is all" that is not good enought for them. And they keep throwing things at me like bible verses and so forth. I have not read the bible enought to counter what they are saying. I feel totally dumb when it comes to those who question me and I hate that. I think it makes me and other Atheist look bad. I have made a few attempts to explaine that I do not see any proof for a God and that it is just what I believe. I have come out and even asked why it matters so much to them what I believe, I am not hurting them in any way. And they say to me prove there is not god. The best I can say to them is prove there is a god. They say to me we have faith and then tell me I also have faith for me to belive there is no god it takes faith. That is just plan crap to me. But I end up being shut down and I feel it is the lack of my information.

I have tried to read books like The Making of the Fittest by Sean B. Carroll, Darwin, Christopher Hitchens and to be honest they are hard reads for me. I have found a book called The homemade Atheist by Betty Brogaard " A Former Evangelical woman's Freethought Journey to Happiness" That is a little easier to read. But it does not state many facts or im just missing them.

What I would like help with is, is there some books out there that have facts and information that is a somewhat easy read that will help me stand up to those who come at me.

I want to learn as much as possible for myslef and so I can have a intelligent conversation.

My husband is a Atheist and we have some really good talks but he is way above my head in his knowledge and I at times feel like im just not getting it. But I will keep trying.

If anyone has any ideas for some reading I could do to help me out here I would love it.

I will even keep tying to read the ones that seem hard to me to understand but maybe a few books that are a little simpler to start out with.

I am sorry for the any words not spelled right I am in a hurry and also a bit frustrated as I was hit with questions once again just last night. I did my best but feel I fell short.

Replies to This Discussion

Hi CJ and welcome. First of all, don't ever feel that you have to explain your position or your world view. You are an individual with the same rights as them and they need to respect your privacy. Having said that, you are doing the right thing by trying to educate yourself and all the suggestions given are all fantastic. I would like to offer one more... read the bible. The bible is the single biggest resource for atheism in the world. And I mean read it cover-to-cover. you will come face-to-face with giants, sea monsters, unicorns, a flat earth, UFO's, zombies, prophisies, etc. Most christians are completely unaware of what is in their own book and how outlandish it really is. They go to a members-only club for 1 hour a week and listen to some guy read to them and then he tells them what he just read means. The stuff they are saying to you is just regurgitation of someone elses ideas. I would like to also suggest the website evilbible.com. Its always helpful to know what the god of love has to say about rape, slavery, infantcide, genocide, and other equally pleasant topics.

There are some atheist youtube channels that address a lot of the areas you’re concerned about. While some simply mock the Christian side, there are many videos that examine popular arguments and then present well thought out counter arguments.

Here are some channels you may find useful in countering the typical Christian arguments:

Village1diot (a lot of Atheist Experience broadcasts are posted there... great show. you can learn a lot from this one)

You might do well to hang out in a Christian forum and pick up on the BS they spout there when they attack atheists. For every answerer they give, you can most likely find the counter provided on one of the youtube channels above… or even on this site. It’s just a matter of educating yourself about what both sides are saying. With a bit of study and practice, it won’t be so intimidating to debate believers.

Thank you for the wesites. My husband showed me one called Christian apologetics. ﻿

They state that it is a website that is in defence of the christian faith through logical arguments. I have not read it yet just a few lines enough to know there will be not much truth to what they are saying. But will be good to know what is being said.

Yes I really enjoy watching and listening to the debates. I find I love to watch Christopher Hitchens debate people . I have watched Bill Maher also and find some of what he says interesting. Have even seen some people I have never herd of Sam Harris for one I like him also. Love Richard Dawkins . I will check out the Atheist Religion Debates also